Good morning and happy Friday! Have you guys ever tried quick pickling? It’s different from normal canning in that it’s a much faster process, so you can pickle cucumbers (or other produce) quickly. Quick pickling only requires the produce to be in the brine for a short time, and there’s no need for the involved sealing/sanitization procedure that canning requires, either.
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For this month’s McCormick partnership post, they challenged me to try one of their quick pickling recipes. Cool – I’d never tried to pickle anything at home before!
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After perusing McCormick’s recipes, I decided on these Spicy Garlic Dill Pickles. Matt and I both love dill pickles, and Matt also loves spicy/garlicky stuff, so this was perfect!
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Matt and I decided to double the recipe so we could bring a whole bunch of pickles with us to the beach last week for everyone to enjoy. The only thing we didn’t double was the sugar, since we ran out, and they still came out great, so I’d recommend doing that, too!
The recipe was really easy to follow, and I was surprised how quickly it all came together, especially compared to normal canning. I’ll definitely pickle more things at home now that I know how easy it is.
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Just put all the ingredients (except for the cucumbers and garlic) in a pot…
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And bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
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Then pour the liquid over the sliced cucumber spears and peeled garlic cloves!
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We housed the mixture in our crockpot because we didn’t have a large glass bowl – it worked perfectly!
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Then you simply cover it and put it in the fridge for a couple hours (or overnight) – and that’s it! Pickles for days.
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The pickles were REALLY good – fresh, flavorful, a little spicy (from the crushed red pepper!) and garlicky.
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Everyone at the beach last week loved them, too! They were the perfect side for our homemade BBQ feast. Image may be NSFW.
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Here are some other quick pickling recipes to try from McCormick. Next time, I think it would be fun to make one of the fruit recipes – or to experiment with some different veggies, like cauliflower or carrots! I like how they add herbs to complement pickled fruit. I bet rosemary and peaches would go nicely together…
- Dill and Garlic Pickled Green Beans
- Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles
- Pickled Mango, Radish and Poblano Peppers
- Asian Refrigerator Pickles
- Sweet ‘n Spicy Corn Relish
- Fiery Pickled Red Onions
Have you ever pickled anything at home before?Thank you to McCormick for sponsoring this post! If you missed my previous McCormick posts, check those out, too: How to Add Flavor to Meals Without Salt or Sugar, Lemon & Herb Fish Recipe, Mexican Shrimp Salad Bowl, and Braised Chicken with Dried Plums, Olives & Capers (<—new fave quick weeknight dinner).
How to Pickle Cucumbers Quickly originally appeared on fANNEtastic food | Washington D.C. area Registered Dietitian | Recipes + Healthy Living + Fitness on July 25, 2014.
The post How to Pickle Cucumbers Quickly appeared first on fANNEtastic food | Washington D.C. area Registered Dietitian | Recipes + Healthy Living + Fitness.